Chapter 14 #3
“No, honey. Just… Please come. I’ll send a car and you can leave first thing on Saturday. Okay? No strings.”
Now I cinched my eyes closed. My mother had only begged once before in her life.
When I was so sick I needed her. Damn it.
“I don’t need a car sent for me. I have a perfectly good vehicle.
” That spent a lot of time in the shop, but I refused to be beholden to them for even a car ride. If I needed to leave, I’d leave.
“So you’ll come?”
Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it.
Even my inner voice was concerned. Then again, how bad could one dinner be? “Fine. I’ll come, but bright and early Saturday morning I’m out of there.” If I dared tell her I had a second job, I’d never hear the end of it.
She laughed as if she’d just won a round with me. Maybe she had.
“Good girl. Oh, this is a semiformal event with several very special guests. I assume you have the money to purchase a decent dress, or do I need to give you my credit card number?”
My mother was an evil woman. Just plain evil. “Did you forget the part where I do have a job?”
“You can barely pay your bills. However, that’s fine. As long as it’s presentable given the formality of the dinner. And don’t worry. I have a young man who will be your date for the evening.”
How would she know if I could or couldn’t pay my bills? Because I didn’t beg for my trust fund? I couldn’t care less about the money.
“Oh, no, you don’t. If this is some opportunity to fix me up with a rich boy, then forget about it.”
“You know how your father is, but no, that’s not going to happen. I’ve learned my lesson.”
Like hell she had.
I resisted laughing. What good would it do to bother arguing at this point? “I’ll have you know I’m already dating someone and have been for a couple months.”
That little surprise knocked the wind from my mother’s sails.
“You are?” As expected, she was incredulous, as if I wasn’t good enough to date anyone. “Do I know him?”
“Yes, Mother, I can even find a man all on my own and no, you don’t know him. However, he’s very nice young man.”
Every sigh I’d ever heard coming from my mother’s mouth was nothing more than a reminder I was a complete disappointment. “Very well then. I’ll see you here at four for drinks. Don’t be late.”
How did I manage to fall into her bullshit trap? How? I was an idiot. “Mother, I—”
I’d be damned if she didn’t hang up on me. I dropped my head and the phone at the same time. “Damn it. Damn it!”
“What was that all about?” Tawny asked.
“My mother managing to manipulate me into coming to their house for dinner on Friday.”
“Ugh. From what you’ve told me, you’d rather be having a tooth extracted without any painkillers.”
“Exactly. And the worst part is that I need to find a date since I was stupid enough to open my mouth.”
“What? You’re just supposed to conjure one up?”
I laughed, almost immediately coming close to being hysterical. “Evidently and he should be of decent quality.” Why did I put my foot into my mouth? Why?
“Why?”
“Any time my father has some big announcement to make, they hire a caterer and invite all their rich friends. My parents have always been very formal. Plus, remember what I told you about my sister and her number of fiancés? Now’s her chance to increase her jewelry collection.”
While I usually didn’t like what my father had to say, I had a terrible feeling this would put me over the edge.
“You could ask Mark, but if you’re staying the night…”
She allowed that little nugget to drop and I almost choked on my Diet Pepsi. “I don’t think so.”
“What about hiring someone? You know, like they do in some romance novels.”
We both broke out in a fit of giggles, finally laughing so hard we were both snorting. “I can’t do that. The dinner is tomorrow night. I won’t have the chance to hire anyone. Plus, you don’t know my mother and father. They’ll see right through it.”
“I’d offer my guy, but you two don’t seem to click.”
“Ugh. No. This is a nightmare. Why am I allowing my parents to continue to manipulate me? Why?”
“Because deep down inside you do love them. Even if they’re assholes.”
“Maybe, but I’m just going to call her back and tell her something came up.”
“What about Zamboni boy?” she asked slyly. “You do have chemistry with him.”
“Do you know how my parents would crucify him for his career path?”
“Is that his career path? Maybe he’s in college or doing other work. You never asked. Did you?”
I chewed on my lower lip as I did when I was nervous. “No, but I don’t know him. What if he’s an evil person? A criminal?”
As she leaned over the table, the mischief in her eyes was more than I’d seen before. “Well, you should know since you did a little hanky-panky with him. And he did run over your flowers. Plus, that would make for excellent dinner conversation and piss off your father.”
“Oh, God. Don’t remind me. However, I wouldn’t mind ruining my father’s big evening.”
“Then why not ask Danny to go with you? You hit it off and who knows, maybe you’ll find out he’s a chivalrous man and you wouldn’t mind going out with him again. What could it hurt?”
“Three’s just one little problem with that.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t have his phone number.” I glanced at my watch and groaned.
Soon I’d be forced to admit defeat, which meant I’d either be AWOL from the very important dinner or my mother would have some rich dick waiting for me when I arrived.
Neither choice was palatable. “I need to get to class.” I rose from the chair, the complete loss of appetite in full affect.
Including a huge knot forming in my stomach.
Tawny was the most dramatic woman I’d ever met in my life. With the corners of her mouth upturning, she stood as if ready to answer the final question during the Miss America pageant.
“No, but you do know where he works.”
Sadly, she was right. Maybe all the bravado I’d shown earlier had vanished. In fact, I knew it had.
“True.”
“Is he handsome?” she asked, still offering her salacious look.
“Very. In all departments.”
“Well built?”
I licked my lips and she fanned her face. “Very.”
“Can he carry on an intelligent conversation?”
“Oh, he’s very articulate. He’s also funny.” Which was very true, even if in a childlike way.
“Even better. Sexy. Handsome. Well built. A good conversationalist. Maybe he’ll make your sister jealous.”
“An added benefit.” I tossed my items into the trash while a tiny tickling sensation washed over me. “What if he says no?”
“Did he spend the night?” Tawny folded her arms, blocking the doorway.
With my nose wrinkled, I threw her a hateful look that I didn’t mean. “Fine. Yes. But he left without saying anything.”
“Maybe he had to get to work and didn’t want to disturb the fairy princess.”
As soon as she used the same phrase he’d done with me, a jolt of electricity shifted through me. “Maybe. Should I?”
“I think you should. Live a little. Live dangerously. Who knows. Maybe he’s a furry beast and that will really get under your father’s craw.”
We both laughed as we walked out, heading to our respective classrooms, but wouldn’t that be a hoot? I could see the headlines now.
Daughter of Prominent Senator on a Mission to Eradicate All Shifters Dating a Beast.
It had a lovely little ring to it.